Learning French Everyday whilst playing and repeating child's routine

How Ofsted nanny makes a difference in teaching French to children:

Teaching children through repeated routines and play has proven to be one the most efficient way to enable children to express themselves in French.

I am happy many people seem to have an interest in learning French.

Children start learning French in most nurseries, primary schools, before entering high school which is great!

By 8 years of age, a lot of children know to sing French songs, know colours in French. It is much better than what previous generations learned. Is it yet good enough to have a conversation in French?

Can children speak French confidently when they meet a French person?

Can they place an order in France? Can they hold basic conversations? Is it not the whole point in learning another language? to be able to speak, read, write, communicate efficiently?

So how can we get children to speak French and not just learn some French?

In order for children to be able to express themselves confidently in French they need to practise regularly.

I am not dismissing the hard work French teachers provide in schools.

In order for children to express themselves in French, they need to hear a lot of French and have opportunities to practise as often as possible. As a nanny, I have the privilege to spend time with children everyday in their homes.

Repeating their routine is a great way to teach them.

I start by getting to know them in English. Then explain in English what we are going to do and repeat it in French, ask children to repeat what I say. They then learn to speak with my French accent.

They memorise words through a repetitive process. I also read books in English and French, sing songs and explain the meaning of lyrics.

Many courses and lessons are on the market. Some are good, some are scams.

Some people claim teaching French but can not speak French.

I have been horrified to find out some companies sell franchises to "train French nursery teachers".

You'd be surprised some French teachers who work in high schools make few mistakes in French.

Nevertheless, a French teacher who learned French as a second language and passed enough certificates to become a French teacher worked very hard and knows a lot more French than most people do.

They can read books in French and understand everything they read, understand French programs, conversations, take part in conversations in French, they spent at least a year in France, living, working, studying in France.

French teachers might sometimes forget words if they don't practise enough, they do not need to purchase a franchise in order to be French teachers. They deserve to be teachers.

I don't think somebody who purchased a franchise and followed a quick training should have a right to teach.

If they never lived in France and don't speak French, they will probably not pronounce words correctly, make mistakes French teachers who studied at university for over 5 years do not make.

I find many manuals, educational French posters in shops.

Believe it or not,  I read many mistakes in certain books, posters and other products.

I can't believe what I read sometimes!

A prime example of terrible mistakes I found  in a pound shop was, I came across a poster that was supposed to teach children dates in French. It translated the dates from English to French. All dates contained a particle to translate 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th...We do say the 1st of May, "le 1er Mai" then say "le 2 Mai" not 2nd of May or 5th of May. Correct French is" le 5 Mai". We don't say" May the 5th in French". We literally say "the 5 May",  which would not be correct in English translated word by word.

It is nonetheless correct in French.The whole table was wrong!  It is just not French at all!

Learning another language involves learning to think in another language and not translate our mother tongue word by word.

Another example I can give you was a French course book for children. It looked good at first sight.

As I read it, I noticed it had a section to teach pronounciation. Most of the words were written in a way that would mislead teachers and children to pronouncing French completely wrong.

It is detrimental to children's learning to provide them poor materials of study.

When purchasing  French books for children, please  make sure you purchase them from a real book store and not from a cheap shop, as I can assure you some cheap shops sell books which should never have been published.

These are probably cheap because they contain mistakes.

Translating English to French word by word like Google translation does, is a terrible way to translate, as it will not sound French to a native French speaker.

If you wish for your children to learn to SPEAK French and not just HAVE French lessons,  have your children looked after by Enora, French Ofsted live-out nanny in Colchester, Essex. 

or get them to  follow French tuition online from anywhere in the UK!

Contact Ofsted nanny around Colchester, Essex: ofstednannycolchester@frenchfast.co.uk!

16 month old baby points at cat in English picture book  and says "chat" in French